Film fitting system

Abstract

Provided is a film fitting system in which the formation and supply of a tubular film are not disrupted even if contents have spilled out from a container at a tubular film fitting position. A film fitting system 10 has a third container conveying device 16 and a film fitting unit 20 . The film fitting unit 20 includes a tubular film forming unit 50 that cuts a long tubular film base material to a predetermined length to form a tubular film, and mandrel heads 40 that receive the tubular film formed by the tubular film forming unit 50 at a film supply position α and push up the tubular film in an opened state at a film fitting position β so as to fit the film on a container. The tubular film forming unit 50 is configured to form the tubular film and deliver the tubular film to the mandrel heads 40 at a position separated from a container conveying path of the third container conveying device 16 when viewing the system from above.

1 . A film fitting system for transporting containers, each container having a pot portion containing contents and a flange portion laterally projecting from an outer periphery of an upper portion of the pot portion with a top opening of the pot portion being sealed by a lid, and attaching from below tubular films on the outer peripheries of the pot portions while the containers are being transported, the film fitting system comprising:
 a container transport device for continuously transporting the containers in a suspended manner with a predetermined pitch; and   a film fitting device for fitting from below tubular films on the outer peripheries of the pot portions of the containers that are transported by the container transport device, wherein the film fitting device comprises:
 a tubular film forming unit for cutting a long tubular film material flattened in a sheet into a predetermined length to form a tubular film; and 
 a mandrel head for receiving the tubular film formed by the tubular film forming unit at a film supply position in an open state, and lifting the tubular film that is in an open state toward a pot portion of the containers transported by the container transport device at a film fitting position to fit the tubular film, wherein the mandrel head is configured to fit a tubular film on a container while being linearly translated with the mandrel head kept opposed to a bottom of a container that is linearly transported in a suspended manner by the container transport device, 
   wherein the tubular film forming unit is configured to form a tubular film and pass the tubular film to the mandrel head at a position that is deviated from a container transport path in which the container transport device transports the containers, when the system is viewed from above.   
     
     
         2 . The film fitting system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the film fitting device comprises a mandrel movement device for circulating a plurality of mandrel heads along a loop-like circulation path that passes through the film supply position and the film fitting position, and   wherein the circulation path along which the mandrel movement device circulates the mandrel heads extends from a position at which the container transport path overlaps the film fitting position to go around a back side of the container transport path and pass through the film supply position to go back to the film fitting position.   
     
     
         3 . The film fitting system according to  claim 2 , wherein a cleaning station for removing contents that have spilled from the containers and have adhered to the mandrels is disposed on the circulation path of the mandrel heads. 
     
     
         4 . The film fitting system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the container transport device linearly transports containers in a state in which either individually separated containers or container packs each integrally including a plurality of containers are arranged either in a row or in a plurality of rows in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the containers are transported, while pitch-feeding is being performed to cause a transport pitch between pot portions of two containers that are separated from each other to be equal to a predetermined pitch,   wherein the film fitting device comprises a movement component that circulates along a movement path including a linear section that extends along a linear movement path of the containers transported by the container transport device, and further comprises a plurality of mandrel heads that move as they are attached to the movement component, and   wherein the mandrel heads are attached to the movement component in such a manner that they move in the linear section while being aligned at a predetermined pitch corresponding to the transport pitch between the pot portions of the containers transported by the container transport device.   
     
     
         5 . The film fitting system according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein each of the mandrel heads has two mandrels conforming to a configuration in which the containers are transported by the container transport device while being arranged in two rows in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the containers are transported, and   wherein six mandrel heads including twelve mandrels, which is the lowest common multiple of two pots, four pots, and six pots, are configured to move in the linear section as a group in which they are aligned with the predetermined pitch so that the film fitting device can be used in a film fitting step for any of container packs selected from 2-pot packs each integrally including two containers connected to each other via edges of the flange portions in units of two rows by one set, 4-pot packs each integrally including four containers connected to each other via edges of the flange portions in units of two rows by two sets, and 6-pot packs each integrally including six containers connected to each other via edges of the flange portions in units of two rows by three sets.   
     
     
         6 . The film fitting system according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the container transport device includes a suction transport belt that transports container packs while sucking top surfaces of the container packs for which the pitch-feeding has been performed so that, when a plurality of container packs that are split such that each container pack integrally includes a predetermined number of containers are continuously transported, a transport pitch between a pot portion of a leading container pack and a pot portion of a following container pack is equal to the predetermined pitch with which the mandrel heads are aligned.   
     
     
         7 . The film fitting system according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the container transport device includes a suction transport belt that transports container packs while sucking top surfaces of the container packs for which the pitch-feeding has been performed so that, when a plurality of container packs that are split such that each container pack integrally includes a predetermined number of containers are continuously transported, a transport pitch between a pot portion of a leading container pack and a pot portion of a following container pack is equal to the predetermined pitch with which the mandrel heads are aligned.   
     
     
         8 . The film fitting system according to  claim 1 , wherein the mandrel head comprises:
 a mandrel shaft having a tip portion that is opposed in a non-contact state to a bottom of a pot portion of the containers transported in a suspended manner, the tip portion having a tapered shape, the mandrel shaft having an outer surface on which a plurality of guide grooves are formed in a shaft axial direction;   a base plate that supports the mandrel shaft in a state in which the mandrel shaft is vertically disposed on the base plate;   film feeding guides each disposed in a corresponding one of the guide grooves of the mandrel shaft so as to move in a vertical direction along the guide groove upon driving of a first cam mechanism between a film receiving position at which upper ends of the film feeding guides are retracted to be below the tip portion of the mandrel shaft and a film feeding position at which the upper ends of the film feeding guides project around the tip portion of the mandrel shaft so that a tubular film can be fed in an open state being of approximately the same size as an outer circumferential shape of the pot portion of the container; and   a lifting plate that moves up upon driving of a second cam mechanism when the film feeding guides are placed at the film feeding position so that a tubular film fitted on the mandrel shaft is lifted along the film feeding guides and fitted onto the pot portion of the container.   
     
     
         9 . The film fitting system according to  claim 8 , wherein the lifting plate of the mandrel head has a through hole that can receive the mandrel shaft, a plurality of projecting portions being formed to project from a rim of the through hole for engagement in engagement grooves formed in the film feeding guides, the projecting portions being configured to lift a tubular film in engagement with a lower edge of the tubular film while the lifting plate is moving up. 
     
     
         10 . The film fitting system according to  claim 8 , wherein, at a time that is after the tubular film is fitted around the pot portion of the container and that is before the tubular film heat-shrinks, the film feeding guides and the lifting plate of the mandrel head return to a state in which a film can be received, upon driving of the first and second cam mechanisms. 
     
     
         11 . The film fitting system according to  claim 9 , wherein, at a time that is after the tubular film is fitted around the pot portion of the container and that is before the tubular film heat-shrinks, the film feeding guides and the lifting plate of the mandrel head return to a state in which a film can be received, upon driving of the first and second cam mechanisms. 
     
     
         12 . The film fitting system according to  claims 8 , wherein a guide component composed of an anticorrosive metal rod is vertically disposed on the base plate, the guide component having a first connecting component and a second connecting component that are disposed so as to be slidable via resin bushings, the first connecting component being connected to the film feeding guides and the second connecting component being connected to the lifting plate, wherein a first cam follower that constitutes a part of the first cam mechanism is attached to the first connecting component, and a second cam follower that constitutes a part of the second cam mechanism is attached to the second connecting component. 
     
     
         13 . The film fitting system according to  claims 9 , wherein a guide component composed of an anticorrosive metal rod is vertically disposed on the base plate, the guide component having a first connecting component and a second connecting component that are disposed so as to be slidable via resin bushings, the first connecting component being connected to the film feeding guides and the second connecting component being connected to the lifting plate, wherein a first cam follower that constitutes a part of the first cam mechanism is attached to the first connecting component, and a second cam follower that constitutes a part of the second cam mechanism is attached to the second connecting component. 
     
     
         14 . The film fitting system according to  claims 10 , wherein a guide component composed of an anticorrosive metal rod is vertically disposed on the base plate, the guide component having a first connecting component and a second connecting component that are disposed so as to be slidable via resin bushings, the first connecting component being connected to the film feeding guides and the second connecting component being connected to the lifting plate, wherein a first cam follower that constitutes a part of the first cam mechanism is attached to the first connecting component, and a second cam follower that constitutes a part of the second cam mechanism is attached to the second connecting component. 
     
     
         15 . The film fitting system according to  claims 11 , wherein a guide component composed of an anticorrosive metal rod is vertically disposed on the base plate, the guide component having a first connecting component and a second connecting component that are disposed so as to be slidable via resin bushings, the first connecting component being connected to the film feeding guides and the second connecting component being connected to the lifting plate, wherein a first cam follower that constitutes a part of the first cam mechanism is attached to the first connecting component, and a second cam follower that constitutes a part of the second cam mechanism is attached to the second connecting component.